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FILE - This file photo provided Friday, April 19, 2013 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, charged with using a weapon of mass destruction in the bombings on April 15, 2013 near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. On Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder authorized the government to seek the death penalty in the case against Tsarnaev. (AP Photo/Federal Bureau of Investigation, File)
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The 20-year-old is charged in the bombings in April that killed three people, injured more than 260 others, and struck fear in those living in the Boston area, the Boston Globe is reporting.

“After consideration of the relevant facts, the applicable regulations and the submissions made by the defendant’s counsel, I have determined that the United States will seek the death penalty in this matter. The nature of the conduct at issue and the resultant harm compel this decision,” U.S. Attorney Eric Holder said in a statement.

A federal judge in Boston was notified today of the decision. The U.S. Attorney’s Office can now move forward in requesting a trial date.

“We support this decision and the trial team is prepared to move forward with the prosecution,” Boston US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said in a statement. Tsarnaev’s attorney, Miriam Conrad, had no comment.

Tsarnaev faces 30 federal charges for setting off the April 15 bombs that plunged the region into terror for five days, until his arrest in Watertown, Mass., the Globe reported. His older brother and alleged accomplice, Tamerlan, 26, was killed in a firefight with police

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev also faces state charges in the fatal shooting of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who authorities say the brothers murdered as they tried to flee the area.

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for 16 of the charges Tsarnaev faces. They have to prove that the killings and injuries were intentional, that Tsarnaev willingly took part in the acts that resulted in death, and that he knew they could end in death.